no response from fest officialsPanaji, Nov 23 (PTI) "S Durga" helmer Sanal KumarSasidharan has written a letter to IFFI director Sunit Tandon,requesting him to schedule a screening date for his film evenas the lead actor Kannan Nayar today said the festivalauthorities are yet to respond and "avoiding" him.
The movie, about the harrowing experience of ahitchhiking couple, was pulled out from the Panorama sectionof the 48th edition of the ongoing International Film Festivalof India (IFFI) along with Marathi film "Nude".
Sasidharan had filed a writ petition in the Kerala HighCourt against the Information and Broadcasting Ministry'sdecision to exclude his film from the festival.
The court recently ruled in his favour and ordered theministry to screen the film at the nine-day-longfestival, which runs till November 28.
The letter, along with the court order, was handed overto Tandon by Nayar.
The actor said the festival director told him that he isnot the right person to take a decision on the matter.
"We didn't get any information from the I&B ministry. Ihad approached Sunit Tandon but he is not responding and hasbeen avoiding me. He said he is not the right person to talkabout the issue. I feel they (IFFI and the ministry) arewasting time. I am here as a delegate and they are treating mereally badly," the actor told PTI.
In the letter that Nayar handed over to Tandon,Sasidharan wrote, "I am the director of the film 'S Durga'. Iam writing to you to inform that my representative, Mr KannanNayar shall be handing over (copy of the same is attachedherewith) the order dated 21/11/17 passed by the honourableHigh Court of Kerala in W P (C) 36600/2017 whereby your officewas directed to exhibit my film 'S Durga' in the IFFIpresently held at Goa.
"Kindly schedule a date for the screening for my film 'SDurga'. Please let me know the date urgently so that I and myentire team can be present along with the censored version ofthe said film," Sasidharan wrote in the letter.
He also requested Tandon to offer them the hospitalitythat is provided to "all the participating film makers".
Sasidharan had yesterday said they would file a contemptof court but the decision is on hold as their lawyer told themthat the ministry may go for a stay order on the decision.
The director is currently in Brisbane to attend the AsiaPacific Screen Awards, where he was nominated in the bestdirector category for "S Durga". PTI SHD BKZMN.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.